The prior art has provided numerous golf clubs, and particularly, golf putters, that are designed to improve the performance of the golfer or otherwise enhance the golfing experience. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,042,405 to Karsten Solheim discloses a golf club having internal weights at the heel and toe ends of the club with two thin plates connecting them. The sound of the club as it strikes a golf ball at the center of the club face is described as different from the sound made by the golf club when striking the golf ball at an off-center position. It is stated that the substantially hollow center behind the front face of the club provides an audible indication when the golfer has struck the golf ball at the optimum central portion of the club. U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,395 to Morton Reiss shows a golf putter head having a low mass center section and two more massive end sections. The sections have substantially the same transverse cross section forming a single continuous cylinder. A major portion of the mass is in the end portions which are connected together longitudinally to the center section by two steel pins. The club shaft is secured to the head centrally in the center section. More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,698, issued to Thomas A. Kleinfelter, and discloses a golf putter having a clubhead with a striking face suspended between two flanges near the toe and heel. This is said to provide a center of percussion extending along essentially the entire length of the clubhead to thereby provide an optimum strike against the ball even if the ball contact is off center. Numerous other golf clubs have been provided in the prior art described by the designers as enhancements of sound, balance, or human factor considerations.
Some golf clubs known in the art are said to have a substantially awkward “feel” when striking a golf ball, believed to be in part because of the distribution of weight within the clubhead. In addition, while the prior art has provided other golf clubs that are said to have a proper feel and to be properly balanced, many of these golf clubs are unattractive and the physical appearance is distractive. Those configurations do not provide the optimum perspective to the golfer as the ball is addressed or audible response as the club strikes the ball. There thus exists a need in the art for a golf club that has an optimum feel and sound, an appearance which supports concentration and a sighting perspective and audible response that optimize the relationship between golfer and putter. It is a general object of the invention to provide a club that satisfies the foregoing criteria.
Specifically, the general objects of the invention include the creation of a golf club, especially a putter, that provides sensitive feed-back to the golfer for improved performance. The golfer, golf club and golf ball are connected during the swing and at impact to provide superior sensitivity to the action, a dynamic sense of balance and an enhanced “feel” which is fed back to the hands indicative of stroke quality. This is augmented by the enhanced visual perception or “sighting” provided. The improved characteristics are believed to result from the integrated nature of the hosel and an insert which includes the striking surface, augmented by the other features of the invention described and claimed.